Ah, summer ­— the season of beach vacations, picnics, ice cream cones, and diligent music practice. Oh, wait – maybe not that last one there. In fact, with all of summer's fun activities and with some music students opting to take the summer off, it’s possible for a musical instrument to go days or even (gulp) weeks without attention. Luckily, whether you’re a music teacher, parent or music student, we have a few creative tips and ideas to keep music practice appealing during this sunny, summer season. Make it relevant. Baseball fan? Ask your young musician to try for a “single” by playing...

At our flagship Pennsylvania music school, there are a few universal truths: 1) blue foam dice can make just about any activity fun 2) the Halloween Show is cuter than any cat video you can find on Youtube, and 3) standard lessons are forty-five minutes long. The first two are self-explanatory, but sometimes people wonder why our policy includes a lesson length of 45 minutes for all students aged 7 and older. After all, if you can fit a sitcom in thirty minutes, why not a piano lesson? The short answer is this: results. After offering twenty-five years of music...

Habits are powerful - anyone who has found themselves absentmindedly driving to work when they actually intended to go to the mall can testify to that. If you can harness that magnetic pull and apply it toward positive change, though, you've got a pretty great secret weapon. That's what Pulitzer Prize-winning business reporter Charles Duhigg demonstrated in his hit book, "The Power of Habit." In his blog, Charles shared the tricks to creating powerful habits and resolutions, with two key components: a cue and a reward. The cue (perhaps leaving your sneakers by the front door to remind you to...